I Don't Feel Like I'm Falling
by spruddi
Summary: Eclare story, complete. Eli and Clare working through the stages of their relationship.
1. A Little Awkward

I really, really love Clare and Eli as a couple. They're my favorite part about Degrassi this season, hehe. Especially Eli! Hope you enjoy this fanfic, I think I'll enjoy writing it. Taking some liberties with the story, though… kind of ignoring the show for the time being, although I might make some references to it, like the headphones and Clare's situation with her parents. Stuff like that. But forgive me if it's inconsistent, just trying to play it in a way that makes this work. Thanks and enjoy!

I Don't Feel Like I'm Falling

Chapter One: A Little Awkward

Clare's feelings about Eli were a little more complicated than "like" or "dislike". He was the level of gorgeous that made her knees weak… the level of gorgeous that, whenever they would get into one of their fake arguments and he gave that unjustifiably beautiful smirk, she wanted to either punch or kiss him. It was so unfair. Her feelings were probably closest to 'love'.

As for the kissing or punching part, where she was leaning towards now was an entertaining development. She found herself actively doing the former. That's right, she was _kissing Eli._

… or rather, Elijah Goldsworthy was kissing Clare Edwards, and she wasn't kissing back.

It wasn't that she didn't _want_ to kiss back… she was in a state of shock, honestly. They had been "flirting", if that's what it was, but, for it to lead to kissing?

At first it had been an argument about music. Eli was justifying his obsession with screamo music, and Clare was jokingly making fun of it. It went to another level when, "infuriated" by her lack of appreciation for his taste in genres, Eli began wrestling with Clare. She played along and was putting up quite the fight, mostly because Eli was letting her, but then he pinned her arms above her head, them still on her bed, and they stayed in that position without speaking for a few seconds that lasted forever.

Her parents were at work for quite a while still, so they weren't worried about getting caught. They just stayed like that as her computer played Eli's favorite music, looking into each other's eyes and waiting to see what would happen. Who would break?

At this point, Clare hadn't thought she would reject him. It's funny how your mind goes blank in these situations… or rather, you have a consistent, droning thought that is so unchanged and out of your control that it becomes like white noise.

'I want to kiss you…' over and over and over, their heart beats and thoughts in perfect unison. Neither had ever felt anything like that before in their lives. The only way it could be described was, they completely belonged to each other. Physically and emotionally, they were each others prisoners.

Such a beautiful moment.

Their eyes went from each others eyes to their lips.

Eli licked his in preparation, and Clare did the same.

Eli leaned towards those tempting lips, and Clare did the same.

She closed her eyes, wondering how much longer this would take… so much anticipation it was painful, she just wanted him to hurry. If she weren't so paralyzed by how wonderful this moment was, she would close the gap herself, but she couldn't. She couldn't risk ruining this.

Instead of closing his eyes, Eli took the moment to just gaze at her. There was no way someone could look so… sexy, was there? Her lips glistening, slightly parted… Her eyebrows brought together, shallow breathing that coincided with his, and eyes tightly shut, although he wished he could look at them just a little more, he was certain that breathtaking shade of blue would break him. Clare's expression was a combination of desperation, and nervousness. She was even shaking a little bit. Almost too perfect to touch… almost.

Finally unable to resist, he closed that barely existent gap with an explosion of every feeling he had for this amazing girl.

… But why wasn't she kissing back? Had he somehow misunderstood this situation? Was that even possible?

Thus, they found themselves here, awkwardly staring at each other. Both contemplated apologizing, but Eli didn't regret what he did, completely certain that she wanted it as much as he did, and she wasn't sure what specifically she would be apologizing for. If she said, 'Sorry I didn't reciprocate', he would, understandably, ask why, and she didn't have the answer for that.

He let go of her wrists and sat himself up, still over her, and Clare used her now free hand to play with her purity ring. He eyed this gesture and was immediately offended.

'Did she think that I was going to force myself on her? Does she really think that lowly of me? Since when does a kiss make her impure?' Eli thought. He shook his head and took a few deep breaths, trying not to get so intensely offended by a simple gesture. She hadn't meant anything by it.

Clare was horrified by his reaction. It was then she got the courage to apologize. There was no way she could handle him hating her.

"E-Eli… I'm sorry… I-"

"Why? Why are you sorry? What just happened?" he said in a shockingly quick but hushed manner. He was obviously holding back as much as possible.

She really, really hurt him.

"B-because… I don't know why, maybe I was just… shocked… I don't know… But I really… You mean so much to me, in that way too… I just…" she stuttered, on the verge of tears. She managed to hurt someone so important to her. He was the last person in the world she wanted to hurt. "Don't hate me…? Please don't hate me, I just… need to go slow…"

Eli kept his eyes closed and breathed a little bit before nodding with a sad, but forgiving smile. He then moved off of her lap and sat beside her, laying on his back. "Don't worry, I 'forgive' you." He smirked. "Wish you could've said that before I got all… into it, haha."

'This boy is so perfect,' Clare giggled a bit. She decided to cuddle into his side a bit. Whatever they were… friends, or more than that… she figured this much was alright. As tempting as it was, she deciding asking him to put his feelings for her into words was a little unfair right now, and of course that meant she wasn't obligated to do so right now either. Maybe soon, though, she decided.

They just laid there for an hour, relaxing, listening to each other breath, humming to the music. They didn't talk because they didn't have to. Just laying there like that, it was enough. Words might ruin the moment.

When it became time for her parents to return home, though, they agreed it was time for Eli to go. Between Morty, Eli's slightly… unorthodox and, for her parents, potentially horrifying clothing style… this intimacy that would make any father furious… Too many factors for her parents to handle at once. So, with a long, tight hug they bid each other a good night and separated.

Clare wasn't surprised by how cold everything became after he left, she sort of expected it. He was so warm.

'Oh well,' she sighed, 'Can't really help it.'

There was always tomorrow to flirt and tease and hug him, right? Until then, there was the jacket he 'forgot' in her room. She definitely wasn't going to bring that up to him any time soon.

END.

It's a very, very short chapter. But that was definitely the longest 'kiss' scene I've ever written, let alone a 'not kiss' scene, haha! It was a lot of fun to write this. Everyone seems to be writing stories according to the show and there hasn't been a lot of conflict between Eli and Clare in terms of their relationships so it just kind of… works out… which I love, but for the sake of this, I'm definitely gonna have to use some KC scars and parental drama as a resistance factor, regardless of how much of a factor it is in the show.

Hope you enjoyed it! Please read and review, it's my fuel!


	2. Flirting

Mrs ElijahGoldswrthybabeh; Haha, amazing screen name. Glad you're enjoying it! There's definitely gonna be lots of fun romantic fluff involving Eli, so me thinks you will

Ninjacat5; Glad you're enjoying it, I hope this chapter is alright too!

EliClareDegrassi; Yeah dude, it's taking them forever in the show! It's totally gonna happen though, hehehe

Wgirl910; Glad you enjoyed it!

And thanks to everyone that added the story to their story alert and favorite story list, it makes me happy that the first chapter went over pretty well! There were so many of you, it was kind of crazy, haha.

I needed some entertainment while waiting for the episode I missed to play, so. More writing! If it means getting my fix on Eli, then it'll work for now! Oh, Eli. You make me so happy.

I Don't Feel Like I'm Falling

Chapter Two: Flirting

She hadn't even seen him yet today, but Clare was already insanely excited to see Eli today. There was so much potential, so many things that could happen and… she really just wanted to see his face, just to know for sure that it happened.

He had kissed her.

That meant that… Elijah Goldsworthy, THE Elijah Goldsworthy liked her, right?

What girl in her right mind wouldn't be melting at a thought like that? That cute smile… confident way of speaking… greatest smile ever… his brilliant sarcasm… his green eyes that have seen so many more things than he'd ever let on… his soft lips… Oh, those lips, how could she forget…

"Clare, you're going to be late! Get down here, now!" her mother yelled.

Stupid daydreaming… She fixed her hair a little more and ran downstairs and ate her breakfast at a lightning fast speed.

At school Alli was the first thing Clare noticed. She had on a glare, clearly pissed that Clare managed to forget to call. Under the circumstances, Clare expected to be forgiven. There were enough juicy details to tide her over.

"Clare! You have some serious explaining to do!" Alli hissed as Clare approached her in the hall

In response, Clare could only smile. Her friend was going to love this… romantic stories were, basically, Alli's favorite thing in the world.

Upon telling her in excruciating detail, Alli's jaw was on the floor. "He kissed you? ELI kissed YOU?" When you thought the smile couldn't get bigger, it did. "The power couple! New, mysterious hot kid goes for the freshly made over super cute smarty!"

It was a really terrible description, but if it worked for Alli, well…

Clare shook her head in defeat. There was no arguing about this. "But I'm not really sure what to do right now… It might be kind of weird to see him again today in English, right? How do you think I should act around him? Should I… flirt…? Or…"

Alli blinked for a second, confused, as if it should be obvious, but then responded, "Honestly, Clare. I guess it's okay because you only went out with KC, so. Right. Why didn't you kiss him back? That's kind of an issue, isn't it? He probably won't date you until you're actually comfortable with him and over this issue."

"Well… I guess it's because… I didn't expect it, you know? It was really out of nowhere… He's amazing, I'm totally falling for him, but… It was like, 'Wow. Someone like him _can_ like someone like me.'"

"In other words, you LOVE him."

The word love. Clare really wasn't ready for that bridge yet. "Well… I don't know… The only guy I've dated was KC… And, there was Wesley, but, that doesn't count… so I'm just not used to it yet, especially not a guy that's so forward."

"Get used to it," Alli smirked, "And just for the record. Guys who are 'forward', as you put it… Tend to be turned on by forward girls. For future reference."

"Riiiight…" Clare laughed.

"Anyways," continued her friend, "Let him know that you won't reject him a second time. You have to get over this whole uncertainty thing; it's not helping either of you at all. If you aren't ready for a relationship, then out rightly tell him so. That's what I think you should do."

"Thanks… you're right," she smiled. "It's time to go to class now, right? Let's go."

Clare had never been so excited for an English class before. Just the chance to sit there and stare at him, thinking of ways to tease him and keep his attention; she was feeling mischievous today. If she got a detention for it, well. Eli would get one, too, and that wasn't a particularly terrible punishment, was it? It must be the progress she made on confessing her feelings, because any other day these things sounded incredibly embarrassing. Anything for love, right?

Wait, that came out wrong… Not love, but… Right…

She spent the duration of the classes looking out the doors and windows, as if by some chance he might walk past. In the hallways she examined every face, desperately looking for him, but there was no sign.

When it finally came time for English, she waited by her locker, so used to her _English partner_ showing up that this was really confusing. When the bell was finally about to ring she walked, lonely and confused, to class. 'Did he come today?' she wondered, officially worried.

Upon arriving to class she was pleased to see Eli sitting calmly in his chair, staring at the front of the classroom, without a care in the world. It was a little funny, though. Instead of being angry about the slight panic attack she had moments before, she was just… Happy. Relieved.

On her seat was a note, neatly folded, just waiting for its owner. She picked it up and flipped it over to see "From Your Favorite English Partner", causing her to giggle a little bit. Clare sat down and leaned forward, whispering to him, "Hey, _favorite English partner_, where were you all day?"

"Miss me?" he smirked, smug bastard. She couldn't help but blush. "You should read it, instead of clutching it."

And yet again, she blushed. Not fair. The bell rang but something as trivial as English class wasn't going to keep her from reading this note. Maybe it was some epic love story, or a sonnet, or an Elementary kid style "Do you like me? Check yes or no!" style note. Regardless, it was looking like Alli was wrong about him being too afraid to make another movie. Then again, Eli was different than the average guy. She couldn't hold him to average standards. She carefully unfolded it, trying not to be noticed. It said,

Hey you.

I bet you're reading this during class. You really should pay attention to teachers, you know? They have an unlimited amount of wisdom to pass on, and here you are, reading this.

_Smug. Bastard._

There was a movie I wanted to see, but Adam bailed on me today… Some doctor appointment or something. It's irrelevant. The point is, going to the movies alone is depressing, so I figured I'd ask you.

Bless me with your presence, Clare Edwards?

'You're… really cute.' She giggled, looking up to see Eli's head turned. Clearly he watched her read it, and judging by the huge smile he had on his face he was thinking, 'Totally called that she couldn't wait to read that.'

"So?" he whispered. "Wanna go?"

"Definitely, I would love to bless you with my presence," she winked, "Is this a date?"

He put on a very cute, pondering expression, as if trying to decide before he smiled and said, "That's kind of what I was hoping, yeah. Pretty much. But you already said yes, so even if you don't want it to be, it is."

"'Even if you don't want it to be,' huh… Well. I happen to want it to be, jerk," Clare giggled.

_Forward guys like forward girls…_

She thought about something she could do in class. Nothing that would cause him to make any sound, and nothing that required a lot of movement…

'Got it!' she realized, leaning forward. She traced 'Y-O-U A-R-E R-E-A-L-L-Y C-U-T-E' on his neck with her pencil, and judging by his blush, he was capable of spelling.

ENDDDDD.

I'll write the next chapter sometime over the weekend, but with all of the support the first chapter got, I had to give you all something, right? I've gotta plan something big for the movie date, but I'm not sure what yet. Anywho. Have a lovely weekend, hopefully I'll post chapter three soon!

Read and review! It's muh fuel!


	3. A Date?

Princesakarlita411; Glad you're enjoying it, haha

zeldaskeeper; Thanks, glad you're enjoying it xD

brown eyed girl.713; Sorry, I kinda write in a colloquial way, because that's how it sounds in my head. Sometimes it ends up looking really bad once it's written. I'll be more careful. x3

eclaire luv; Tada! xD

wgirl910; Huzzah! That's super awesome! XD

Sometimes it's hard to think of how to respond to these, haha. But I'll always respond to every review, so yeah. I had a version of this chapter finished last night and it was… um… Yummy? But. That's not where I want to go with this story, so it was rewritten. If you haven't found out, the title was taken by Asher Roth's song "Fallin'". It's not a romantic song, but it's about going for whatever you want, because you feel like you need it. Plus, I think the title is romantic and it gave me a good feeling about how I want to end this story when it comes to that.

Anyways, enough blah blah blah. Here's the story!

I Don't Feel Like I'm Falling

Chapter 3: A Date?

They were sitting in the movie theater, as quiet as they were supposed to be. It was a little sad because all they wanted to do was talk to each other the whole time, but it couldn't be helped. Eli was a little more obvious about his dissatisfaction. While at least Clare was _trying_ to watch the movie, he stared at her, never breaking his concentration.

Having him constantly stare at her like that was making her heart race and she was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable, not sure what to do. He began to stroke her hair behind her ear. 'Can he seriously not hear my heartbeat right now? It's so loud…' Clare wondered.

He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek and Clare got a sickly, unsettling feeling in her stomach. She never had this feeling before… it was awful. Like Eli was some sort of a disease to her, and God, she hated that thought. At any minute, she was afraid they were going to be past the breaking point.

Eli saw her reaction and tilted his head. "Still not ready?"

"I guess not…" she whispered. "I really don't understand why… I… I want to, but…"

"Do you wanna get out of here so we can talk?"

She agreed to it, not too interested in the movie anyways, especially now. She really had to figure this out. It wasn't about KC… It wasn't even about Eli… So what was it?

When they got into Eli's car they didn't put on their seatbelts. They needed to talk before they went anywhere else. He sat there, his head on his own shoulder and waiting for her to say something. He didn't want to mess up again… He was getting sick of messing things up like this.

Around then, seeing the slight impatience in Eli's face, like he was ready to be away from this situation… Or rather, to run away from it. That's when she realized the problem.

"Guys… they leave, a lot… Dad did it to Mom, KC did it to me, and Peter did it to Darcy… I'm sick of it. I'm so glad I have this abstinence ring. You're amazing… I don't want to lose that. Every time I feel like it's about to go too far… That I'm about to forget what might happen… It makes me sick."

Eli was silent for a while after she finished her explanation, not wanting to risk interrupting her if there was more to say, but as soon as he was confident she was done, he lifted her chin, now slightly wet from tears and pointed to the ground, and forced eye contact.

She was so perfect to him just then.

"Clare, I'm not going to run away like that. I like you, a lot," Eli confessed. Her face began turning red. "I'm not trying to have sex with you. You have to trust me." She smiled a little and wiped a tear off of her cheek.

"I feel like such a girl right now," she laughed, "Seriously."

He smirked and replied, "I have that affect on people."

She assumed he was referring to Fitz, but decided not to over think it and just shook her head. She was a little sick of thinking right now.

"You still haven't told me how you feel about me. It's a little unfair, considering I confessed, wouldn't you say?" Eli put on a fake pout. If her face was turning red before, now it was putting tomatoes to shame.

"I l-… I li…" she stuttered, not used to being in this situation. A few seconds went by but she was still unable to put it into words.

"Eli, I love you. You're the most amazing person to ever walk on this earth. You're so sexy it makes me swoon, so smart it makes me jealous, and so witty I can't stop laughing. I want to be with you forever and ever. I can't wait 'till you propose so we can run away and get married and have lots of super cute babies." He ranted, trying to not laugh, especially towards the end.

Clare, slightly offended that he ruined her attempt and nervous about his use of the word 'love', lightly hit him in the shoulder.

"You punch like a grandma," he responded, grabbing her small fist. He looked directly at her again. It was painfully intense but a part of her loved it when he did this, those opportunities to stare into his eyes.

"…Anyways. Tell me once you can say it without stuttering," he responded, letting go. Eli had been tempted to pull her onto his lap and kiss her, but he really wasn't sure that it was something he could get away with right now. He was a brave soul, but getting rejected by her a third time in a row might be a little more than his patience could take. "Where should we go? You aren't ready to go home, are you?"

Clare was really upset with her. He was trying to hard to be there for her, to be patient while she learned to trust him… She wanted to thank him for it, and she especially wanted to kiss him. It was a little scary, but she had to work through that sickness. Eli was the most trustworthy person she had ever meant.

He started the car and when it seemed obvious she wasn't even trying to think of a place to go, Eli put in a CD and closed his eyes. Clare was a little unsure, expecting it to be screamo, but it wasn't. Instead, it was a really soft, instrumental version of a song by Dead Hand.

'This is actually… a really pretty song…' she thought, listening to it carefully. Clare supposed that maybe Eli was able to pick up things like this from music. If Dead Hand could sound like this, screamo could. Apparently his taste in music _was_ as impressive as he always declared it to be, it wasn't just arrogant gloating.

He started mouthing the words quietly to himself, and Clare was certain she was the luckiest girl in the world right now, being here with him. He managed to make sitting in a parking lot… perfect.

"I like you," she whispered as quietly as she could, half hoping he couldn't hear.

If he _had_ heard it, Eli didn't react. It made her a little nervous, but maybe he _didn't_ hear her. Instead of worrying about it, she imitated him, laying back in her chair, eyes closed, listening to this.

Everything she believed, about relationships not needing sex to work, it was all true. This worked. In fact, this was the happiest she had been for such a long time. 'This ring,' she thought, 'really does put you in some wonderful situations.'

He looked over at her for a moment and held her hand. Clare smiled and they intertwined their fingers, staying like that for a while, so comfortable.

END.

Real drama starts next chapter, just to let you know.

Read and review, it's my fuel. Always has been, always will be. It means a lot, really.

And thanks again for everyone that added this to their story alert list… It's so awesome to see that people are enjoying this.

Might post another chapter here shortly. Bai bai!


	4. Finding Ground

wgirl910; xD Not random. This is an eclare story, after all.

brown eyed girl.713; XDD Hahaha. I'm glad it was better. A little less tired when I wrote that chapter. I like yummy, too… Especially when it involves Eli, haha! Not yet, though. x3 But yummy scenes are coming, I promise. How could I possibly resist?

tweety09; Wait no longer, wonderful reader! It has arrived! Your screen name is cute. It makes me smile.

zeldaskeeper; Haha, we all know that deep down Clare is totally a badass. XD

Princesakarlita411; Glad you liked it, thank you for reviewing x3

ToriTrueBlood; True Blood is a good show btw. Thanks for reviewing! Here is ze update

somebodyisme10; Glad you're enjoying it! I was actually inspired to do that by A Bright Dark Moment, written by ShowTime. It's a really good story, be sure to check it out. I hope I made the scenes different enough, though? But I really think it's important for her character… she has had a lot of bad male figures in her life.

Yuuki Sakurai; Haha, I LOVE writing wonderfully dorky speeches for Eli xD It's my first time writing a fanfic with a character that can totally use them. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, hahahahaha. I'm planning on doing a lot of things like that for him, this chapter included. Thank you! XDD

People that review make me happy. Definitely the reason I write. Thanks to everyone adding it to the story alert, too! It's been a really fun 24 hours. XD I feel such a connection with all of you. It's really deep and stuff. XDD

ON WITH THE STORY! AND THINGS! YEAH. I feel like a silly.

I Don't Feel Like I'm Falling

Chapter 4: Finding Ground

It had been a long night. Clare's dad came home a little later and drunker than usual, so her mother was furious. She didn't want to get on the computer right now… Even if Eli was online, it wasn't enough. She really wanted to be held. To compensate she wrapped herself into his jacket, which he was still unaware about, and was playing more instrumental music through his headphones. It wasn't the same as having him here, but it was the closest she could get.

'I bet if I asked him to, he'd come over,' Clare thought to herself with a little smile. She pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and contemplated sending him a text… but what would she say? Clare couldn't actually ask him to come over. It was already really late, and if she got caught, it would be so much trouble. As for calling him… It still didn't feel like it would help much.

She didn't want to talk, she just wanted a hug. A really nice, warm hug.

Clare cuddled a little more into the jacket and turned up the volume on her MP3 player. She'd just have to fall asleep for the time being. There wasn't anything else to do.

The following day when she got to school she was tired. It had taken longer than usual for her to fall asleep, obviously. She had the MP3 player and headphones in her bag just in case she found a way to not go back home that night.

Her mom didn't even mention the fight this morning.

Alli noticed her friend's behavior immediately. "What happened? Is it your parents again?" Clare nodded and rubbed her forehead. Just thinking about it gave her a headache. "Sorry… It's Friday, so we're hanging out as usual, right?"

This is why they were friends. Alli tried really hard to be a popular, ordinary, relatable person, but she was a lot more special than that. Her main talent was her ability to read people, just like that. They were strict, but Alli's parents raised two great children.

"Of course we are," Clare responded, smiling. "You were wrong, by the way. Eli made the second movie _and_ asked me on a date."

"That boy," Bhandari laughed, "He really is a weird one. You've got your hands full, huh?" They joked around throughout the day. Clare was honestly excited to have some time with her best friend. As great as it was hanging out with Eli, she didn't want to throw all of her issues on him; especially not this quickly.

Of course, before English Eli went back to his normal habit of waiting by Clare's locker. "Miss Clare Edwards, lovely to see you this morning," he winked. "I missed you last night. Do I get to see you tonight?

'My hands full,' she thought, 'You really have no idea, Alli.'

"A little late," Clare responded, sarcastically upset by this development, "Alli already claimed rights to me tonight."

He looked honestly upset by this but shrugged with a cute pout. "I _suppose_ BFFs take priority over BFs. The extra 'f' makes a world of difference."

That was probably the lamest joke he ever made… honestly, who makes fun of acronyms like that? It was really lame, but Clare's attention quickly jumped from the lameness to the fact that he definitely just called himself her boyfriend. Her face instantly lit up with a huge smile… Just like that, every thought of last night was completely gone.

She was falling for this boy, fast.

Of course, she couldn't let him have the pleasure of knowing that. "That was a stupid joke," Clare laughed, "And here I thought you were better than that."

He held his hand over his heart, as if he had been shot. "So cruel, so cruel… I see how it is. You hate me, don't you? That's why you won't kiss me! Oh, for shame, leading me on so heartlessly… You are a cruel mistress, Clare, but alas, it is too late… My heart is already yours, albeit shot with Cupid's arrow and bruised by your harsh words…"

… Wow.

Clare really couldn't respond to that one.

"You win," she started laughing hysterically, "There is no way for me to respond to that."

He wore a cheesy grin and said, "It's a wonder that I'm not in the senior English class… Then again, I wouldn't have met you. Must be fate." Clare rolled her eyes. If he wanted to be a dork, she might as well let him. "So I won't get to see you tonight? I guess I'll have to see if Adam is free, then. To English class?"

"Sounds good!" she smiled.

The day went by quickly enough and eventually Alli was at Clare's house. They were currently watching a really awful soap opera on TV and making fun of it.

"God. So much has happened over the past few weeks, huh?" Clare laughed.

"Definitely. Stuff started happening between Drew and I, and now there's you and Eli…"

"Mhm. How are things with him, by the way…?"

"They're… alright…" Alli sighed, "He's not interested in dating, you know? It's really hard, but. I'm working on it. He'll give in. What's going on between your parents?"

"Well. Dad is gonna be at a hotel until he finds someone he can stay with while he and Mom 'work things out'…"

"You don't think they're going to?"

"No… They're probably gonna be divorced…"

"Clare, I'm so sorry…"

"It's alright…" Clare shook her head, "I'm sad, but. Things have to change sometimes I guess… if they aren't happy together, then I don't want them to be together… Whatever helps…"

Alli scooted closer to her friend and wrapped her arm around Clare's shoulder. "You'll get through it. You're a really strong person, Clare-bear. Seriously, it amazes me. Whatever you need, I'm here for you."

Clare smiled and hugged her friend tightly.

"Same to you Alli."

Clare really loved the people in her life. All of them, her Dad included… They were all wonderful. She was so incredibly lucky and appreciative. Right now in particular, she felt like she was overflowing with some kind of growing affection.

The rest of the night they did each others hair, makeup and nails, and all the other girly things. Late that night they finally crashed and were in the process of falling asleep when Clare felt her cellphone vibrating… A text message?

She checked and saw that it was from Eli. Her heart fluttered before she even read it.

From: Eli

Hope you had a fun night. I still miss you.

She decided not to respond… Instead, she just fell asleep smiling, holding her cellphone close to her heart. This boy was going to be the death of her.

If not for the fact that she was keeping his jacket in the closet so Alli wouldn't tease her about it, Clare would definitely be cuddling with it again tonight.

ENDDDD

Another chapter down, hehe.

Read and Review, it's my fuel!


	5. A Kiss

zeldaskeeper; XD Hmmmm. I'll try my best.

kadabrafreak890; x3 Haha. It was sort of a last minute thing but I liked the idea of her writing on his neck. I'd love to try that in real life, it'd be fun. Especially if the guy blushes, hehe. As for them kissing, well. Yeah. XD I'm especially excited for that in the show. Hopefully some time in next week's episodes!

Princesakarlita411; Glad you enjoyed it!

EliClareDegrassi; I'll definitely be bringing in Darcy within the next few ideas… That's a really good idea, I'll consider it. x3 If I go through with it, I'll give you credit for sure. Thanks! I hope you're right about Clare's parents… But then again, them fighting is an awfully wonderful excuse for her to get closer to Eli, hehehe

I Don't Feel Like I'm Falling

Chapter 5: A Kiss

Saturdays were awfully long when you still had to go through Sunday, too, just to see someone you really, really, REALLY wanted to see.

She had already texted him 'Thanks for that text last night, it was cute. How are you?' but he had yet to respond and it was driving her crazy. Was Eli doing this on purpose? She certainly wouldn't put it past him. She texted him once more asking if he was there and then set her phone aside, blasting her music.

Clare's parents were at work again, it was still pretty early, but that left her with nothing to do. It made the situation even worse.

A few minutes passed and she noticed her cellphone buzzing… Not a text message, but a phonecall? And it was from Eli! Her heart started pounding and she answered slowly, trying not to seem overexcited.

"Eli?" she asked.

"Excited to hear from me?" he asked. She could practically hear him smirking over the phone.

"… Shut up…" she spat, blushing.

"Look outside," he commanded, and then the call was ended.

"W-what?" she blinked, double checking to make sure he actually _had_ just hung up on her. Was he… Was he outside? No way!

She looked out her window and, sure enough, there was Eli looking towards her window from the street, waving. If her heart beat any faster, she was definitely going to have a heart attack. This was way too much for one girl to deal with. Clare lifted the window and called out, "Come in?" He smiled, beaming, and made his way into her house. "I can't believe he came here… Wow…"

Very shortly from there she heard knocking on her door, and it opened, Eli waving pleasantly, like it was the most natural thing in the world with a very light flick of the wrist. "'sup?" he asked.

She ran over and gave him a tight hug, so incredibly happy he was here. "Why are you…?"

"Why'd I come here? I um… I sort of…" he tilted his head and looked to the side, apparently trying to think of a way to word what he wanted to say. "I didn't want to see you or anything," he said sarcastically, "but… I have something to say…?" Clare blinked, a little worried. This was seeming a lot less romantic and fun than she was originally expecting.

"Okay?" she asked, trying to push him to continue.

"Right, how to start this, um… I sort of did something stupid…"

Oh God.

"You know how Fitz is a stupid girl with an awful haircut and a pathetic bully and stuff?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, um. Well. I kind of needed someone to talk to about this, because… Well… I haven't been here long, and… My only other friend right now, aside from Sav, who's cool and all, but… Yeah… Is Adam, and uh…"

Seeing Eli so blatantly lack composure was really frustrating. Where'd her cool, smart Eli go?

"Whatever you want to say, I'll listen," she assured him, hoping it might help.

"Adam is… A girl…?" Eli said, although it came out as a question. Clearly he was still very confused about everything that happened. "…Well, I'm not… Asking if he is, I mean, she… but…"

"Wait. Adam is a _girl_? What are you talking about?"

"I mean, genetically speaking, Adam is a girl. Transgender… or… Whatever… I don't know… Yeah…"

Eli's voice wasn't offended or anything, he was just a little confused about it.

"How'd you find this out? What does Fitz have to do with it? … Are you okay?"

Eli nodded and explained, "I'm fine. It doesn't bother me, but… I was so surprised by it. Last night I was hanging out with Adam, and everything was fine… But today, this morning I was at The Dot and I saw that asshole Fitz, and of course he was saying shit, and 'm not gonna let him burn me, you know?"

"Did he hit you or anything?" Clare asked, just wanting to make sure. As this story continued, she was getting really worried.

"I'm fine, seriously," Eli clarified, "But anyways… We went outside and we started going at it. For the record, he threw the first punch, so, I was just defending myself. I asked him, 'why are you so obsessed with bullying Adam? Do you have some kind of crush on him?' The look on Fitz's face when I said that was priceless, he was horrified. He stopped trying to attack me for a second and just laughed and said, 'You really have no fucking clue. You're such good friends with _him_, and you don't know.' He told me to go ask Adam if I really wanted to know, so I went to Adam's and we talked… It took a while but he… she told me, and…" He shook his head, still in shock. "Why did he wait so long to tell me? I wasn't like. A bad friend or something, was I? Was he… She… Stupid fucking pronouns!"

Eli ran his hand through his hair, trying to calm down.

"Fitz treats Adam like shit because Adam cross dresses."

It was like that one line was enough to throw Eli over the edge. He ran his hand through his hair again and walked quickly in a few circles, trying to breathe. "I wanna kill him. I wanna kill that bastard so much… Why didn't Adam tell me? We could've done something… I don't get it…"

"Eli… Of course Adam trusts you… You're Adam's best friend, don't forget that. Adam needs you."

"When she told me, I tried so hard not to be mad at her. I really, really tried," Eli said, "And I know it's not fair, but… I'm so sick of it… I don't want to be lied to, you know? I put so much trust, and something that important never came up, no matter how many times we were together? How could I not notice? She has a girly face… She's just… An awkward guy… I figured that's all it was, but… I was so fucking stupid…"

She had never seen him like this before.

"I failed Adam as a friend up until now but… It's not happening again. Fitz is going to pay." He hissed lowly.

This was really, really bad.

"Eli, please, just sit for a second… Please…" Clare was on the verge of tears. While he was still walking in circles she grabbed him from behind and latched onto his shirt. "Please… Just relax for a bit, okay? … Adam would hate himself if he saw you like this…"

He took a few deep breaths. The sudden contact from Clare was incredibly soothing. He felt his senses slowly coming back to him. She cared, so much. He needed to just relax right now, to keep her from crying.

"Thank you," Eli smiled, although it was a little hard. He turned around, forcing her to let go. When they were face to face she looked him in the eyes for a moment, trying to understand what he was thinking. Which part of this was bothering him?

Was it Fitz, being cruel to Adam? Was it Adam not trusting Eli? _Or_ was it people like Fitz who make it hard for Adam to trust people?

She continued looking into his eyes, trying to break him down, piece by piece.

That's when she picked up the desire in his eyes… He wanted her as much as he did the first time he kissed her. That really hadn't changed. It was amazing. He needed her right now… As for what she could do that other people couldn't, well. That was obvious.

She tilted her head wordlessly into the crook of his neck, nuzzling her nose against it. She kissed him lightly against his neck. Clare heard him gasp a little bit, surprised. When she continued kissing him there, sucking lightly, he lifted his head to give her more room. She smirked mentally… This was kind of fun, and no sickly feeling. Clare lifted herself up a little on her tip toes and moved up to his jaw, making her way over his chin and moving up until she got to his lips, where she kissed the corners. He smiled sweetly, appreciating the gesture.

Finally, she kissed him on the lips.

_Whenever you need me, I am here for you. Only for you._

END.

The laptop is dying. I might put up another chapter before I sleep, but this is the last for at least a few hours. Bai bai! Read and review!


	6. Darcy

Princesakarlita411; x3 Glad you enjoyed it, haha. It's fun to write cute things.

kadabrafreak890; Glad you enjoyed it XD Yay cute stuff.

zeldaskeeper; Tadaaaaaaa XD

ToriTrueBlood; XD… Lalala.

tweety09; Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it x3

Yuuki Sakurai; Confused Eli is adorable. XD And hecks yeah. I'm all for beating up that bag of douchery named Fitz.

mcflyXlove; XD Your name is fun to type. It's very gangsta. XD Lol. Anyways, here you go! Glad you're enjoying it.

Mrs. ElijahGoldswrthybabeh; Your review made me super, super, super happy x3 I'm really honored, seriously. If you have any ideas you ever wanna throw out, feel free to send them in a comment and I'll definitely seriously consider them. x3 And yeah, I'm definitely supportive of slow development between Eli and Clare. I was feeling kind of upset at myself last night actually because I felt like making it obvious they liked each other was making it move too fast, but then again, that was chapter 5 so I guess the readers kinda deserved some development by then, huh? … And I haven't really even mentioned Morty… Sigh… So much to include still XD

Speaking of "so much to include still", I do not know how many chapters this story is going to be. I've probably got another five or six or seven or… eight… et c etc chapters in me. F'realz. If anyone ever has anything they want included in this story, you can drop it in a comment and I'll seriously consider it and give you credit. It might be fun. No promises though, I gotta keep this story's groove so it can't mess with that. xD ON WITH THE STORYYYY.

This part of the story's plot is thanks to EliClareDegrassi btw.

I Don't Feel Like I'm Falling

Chapter Six: Darcy

Eli was forced to leave very shortly after the kiss after receiving an SOS text message from Adam. It didn't give any details so Eli was pretty certain that Fitz had started something. Quite the overprotective brother, but then again, Adam was a pretty terrible fighter.

Clare, meanwhile, was thinking through the situation repeatedly, trying to decide how to act around Adam tomorrow. It didn't feel too complicated… She should just act like she always has, right? If Adam was unhappy with the way Clare treated her… We'll use the word 'him'… originally, then he would've said so. The only thing that changed was knowledge, and there was no reason for that knowledge to change anything else.

It felt like a solid decision, and it was almost time for Clare's parents… or, specifically, Mom... to get home so she fixed up her room to pass the time until then.

When Helen returned home, her arms were full of groceries, waddling her way to the kitchen. "Clare! I need help!" she yelled, setting everything down on the kitchen table and beginning to unpack.

Clare rushed down the stairs obediently and responded, "What's up?"

"Help me unpack… We need to talk."

'We need to talk.' Universally, the worst possible phrase.

"What about?" Clare asked, afraid of the answer. Her mother shook her head, clearly not wanting to talk about it, but took a deep breath.

"Clare… Your sister is coming home in a few days. She doesn't know what's happening between me and your father yet, so don't mention it around her, okay? I'll talk to her and explain everything, probably before she arrives, just… I don't want you to mention it to her before I do. That's all."

"It's not like I know much about what's going on between you two anyways." Clare mumbled harshly. She really hadn't intended for it to come out that way.

"Sorry. I really am… for everything."

"It's not your fault, Mom…"

"Thank you…"

The rest of the unpacking went by without much talking. It was a little awkward, honestly, but Helen needed the time to think. It seemed there were a lot of things on her mind.

A few days past without much exciting happening. Eli was busy with some project for another class and Alli was constantly busy with Drew, so Clare was left being rather independent. Her parents' fighting was as bad as ever and it was really getting to her, so when it was finally time for Darcy to come home, she was ready for someone to talk to.

It was pretty late in the afternoon when Darcy arrived – their dad had picked her up from the airport.

"Clare!" she screamed happily as she ran into the house, looking for her beloved sister.

"Darcy!" Clare screamed back, running to Darcy and wrapping her arms around her. "I've missed you so much! How was the flight?"

"Excessively long. Help me unpack my stuff?"

Clare happily agreed and helped carry Darcy's things to the room. While unpacking Darcy said, "How bad is the fighting?" Apparently Mom had found the time to mention it. Go figure.

"Really bad… Mom wants a divorce, Dad doesn't."

"I'm so sorry that you're stuck here on your own... It's really not fair…"

"Not your fault. You're off saving the world and whatnot. I can handle this."

Darcy shook her head. Even if Clare said that, it didn't make it true. "Look, Clare. I'm done in Kenya… For the time being I'm gonna be going to college. I've got an apartment with a spare bedroom."

"Fancy fancy?" Clare blinked, not sure where this conversation was going. She had an idea, but she was really hoping she was wrong.

"You'll be able to take online courses or go to school or whatever you want… but Mom and I were thinking you should move in with me for the time being… She doesn't want you being around this, and if what she has been telling me is true, it's not going to get better."

"Darcy, you're asking me to move in with you?"

She nodded.

If it was local, Clare figured it might be kind of fun. She missed having her older sister a lot, but the way she was talking… This was more than just a little move.

"Where are you living?"

"A few hours away."

Absolutely not. There was no way in hell that was happening! She would rather deal with nonstop screaming than leave Degrassi!

"I appreciate the offer Darcy, it's kind of you but… I can't! I love it here! I don't want to leave!"

"It's… not really an offer, Clare… Mom is determined to make you move in with me… I know you love it at Degrassi – it's a great school, it really is, but… I have no choice but to be near the school I want to go to, and as far as Mom is concerned, you have no choice but to get out of here. She doesn't want to hurt you with all of this fighting anymore."

"If she doesn't want to 'hurt me with all of this fighting,' then they should just stop fighting!" Clare spat, storming out of the room quickly and retreating to her own.

This was not going to happen.

She locked her door and collapsed onto her bed, breaking down in tears. Was Darcy stopping here just to pick her up and take her away? She had Degrassi… Alli… Adam… Eli… Everyone was here, not some random town hours away… This place was everything she wanted!

Clare heard knocking on her door. It sounded a bit angry.

"Clare Edwards, open this door!"

It was her mom.

"I'm not playing with you! Get over here and open up this door, we're going to talk about this, right now!"

"Talk?" Clare whimpered, "You're just telling me what to do! That's not fair! I'm okay here… I don't want to leave… There's no talking with that…"

"Clare…" she heard from the door, "Please, open the door and listen to me… Please?"

That voice. It sounded like her Mom was on the verge of tears, too. Clare couldn't say no to that. She stood up and walked over to the door, unlocking it and backing away.

Correction. Not on the verge of tears, she _was_ crying.

"I don't want you to leave… But… Clare, it's what's best… Your Dad and I aren't going to just stop this fight over night… It's going to take some time, whether we get a divorce or not, and… I _know_ this is hurting you. I'm your mother – it's not something you can hide from me."

The daughter looked at the ground. How Eli always managed to look people straight in the eye, she'd never know.

"Clare… Your dad and I _need_ you to move in with your sister. _Please_ understand… It won't be forever, just for the time being, we want you to be somewhere you can be happy, so that your father and I can focus on fixing this…"

'So that your father and I can focus on fixing this.'

That was the line that broke Clare.

The 'So' part meant '… That way,' right? As in, if she did leave, her parents could fix it. If she didn't leave, her parents couldn't.

Was she interfering in them trying to fix the problem?

Clare decided to be brave, and looked her mother in the eyes. The painful love every mother had for her daughter, that's what Clare saw. It said, 'I need you to go with your sister'. A true, honest need… Something Clare could do that would make things easier for her mother.

"I'll do it," she said, barely above a whisper, but her mother heard it loud and clear.

Clare was going to move.

END.

Drama drama drama llama.

Read and review, it's my fuel.

Thanks again for the idea EliClareDegrassi, pretty sure I'm gonna have fun with where I wanna take this idea.


	7. Moving

Princesakarlita411; I think our genius Eli will come up with some way to make it okay.

KellyGirl13; I agree with you. XD It's fate, they must stay together! They'll figure it out somehow though. Even if it's long distance.

tweety09; Hard times are ahead xAx

Yuuki Sakura; XD I do not want to be responsible for your death. Not at all.

ninjacat5; XD Haha, okay

I Don't Feel Like I'm Falling

Chapter Seven: Moving

Going to school the following day, a Thursday, was nearly impossible for Clare, but she had to do it. Apparently she was leaving Sunday morning, according to her sister. One week, and her whole life had changed? Just when she was finally making progress with Eli… Everything, even with her parents fighting, was going to work out, and now… It just all got washed away.

She was completely powerless.

Upon arriving at school, Clare immediately remembered another problem. Fitz was attacking Adam, and there was still no sign of Eli.

She had completely forgotten about Adam's situation.

Ordinarily, Clare wouldn't know what to do. But today, in her helplessness, she wasn't particularly worried about her own well-being. She ran up as fast as her legs would carry her and straddled Fitz on his back, bashing her tired limbs against him, trying to inflict some kind of pain.

A confused and infuriated Fitz reached his arm over his shoulder and grabbed her hair, pulling as hard as he could.

"You bitch!" he cussed. Clare screamed at the top of her lungs; it was so incredibly painful she let go of her grip on his back and was flung to the ground on her back. Fitz kicked at her sides. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

By the time she was on the ground a huge crowd was around them. Adam stood in shock, trying to figure out what he could do.

Of course, he knew he had to do _something_ immediately, before Clare got hurt any worse, so he walked up behind Fitz and started pulling at his shirt, getting him away from Clare. Fitz turned around and moved to throw a punch directly at Adam's face, but before he could, just in time, Eli caught Fitz's fist.

"You fucking idiot!" Eli screamed. He backed up a few steps and then lunged, taking Fitz to the ground and put everything into punching him. He had completely lost his mind.

Some random teacher Clare didn't recognize ran up and pulled Eli off of Fitz. That look on his face… Completely unrestrained, unforgiving, and unafraid… She felt like, if that teacher hadn't come, Eli wouldn't have stopped until Fitz was dead.

She never felt so afraid in her life. Clare collapsed to her knees and started crying as the pain from her quickly forming bruises and cuts started attacking her. "What do I do…" she sobbed over and over again.

Adam rushed behind her and started stroking her back. "Clare… Thank you so much for what you did…"

Clare started screaming, "Eli… He… He completely lost it! Everything… Everything is falling apart!'

Within a minute or two a lot of teachers appeared and went into two groups. A handful dragged the four 'delinquents' to the office, while the others broke up the crowd.

Clare looked over at Eli, trying to stop crying. He wasn't looking at her… It was like he couldn't. He just kept clutching his fist tighter and tighter. There was a cut on his hand that was dripping with blood, but he didn't make any effort to even glance at it…

Maybe, she realized, this was what Eli had felt a few days ago, when he felt like he had completely failed Adam.

Eli had gone this far, and she couldn't do anything to help him.

'Everything is falling apart,' she thought to herself. What was she supposed to do?

He needed her more than ever… She was sure of that… He was breaking because of the situation with Fitz, and… she was horrified at the thought of what he might do when he finds out that she's moving.

She had to figure something out.

"Alright, you four," the principal sighed, "Excluding Clare, this fight has been going on for way too long, and it's officially out of control. Clearly detention isn't enough. You boys, three weeks, out of school suspension. Clare, one week."

Eli and Adam immediately started glaring at Fitz, who was too busy holding an ice pack against his black eye to notice. Clare suddenly became aware of her own cuts and bruises.

'Wait', she realized, 'A week… I'm gonna be gone before then…'

"I'm sorry," she stuttered a bit, nervous at how to approach this without Eli finding out, "Can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

The principal was a little confused but nodded in response. Eli and Adam stopped glaring long enough to look at Clare and try to figure out what was going on. However, when the principal shooed them out, they had no choice but to wait.

"What is it?"

"I'm… moving this weekend, away from the school district, so, about the suspension…" she whispered.

"I see. You're going to have to turn your books in and say goodbye to your teachers and friends… I understand. It's obvious this fight wasn't your fault. You can ignore the suspension, but it's still going on your record. I have no choice. Go home for today, though."

She gratefully nodded. She hadn't expected it to work out quite that well. "Thank you so much," Clare said, standing up and leaving the office.

Of course, waiting outside of the office were Adam and Eli.

"I'm so sorry Clare," Adam instantly hugged her, "I didn't mean to get you involved with this… I'm so sorry… And now you're in trouble, and…"

"Adam, it's fine," she smiled, "I couldn't very well let my friend get beaten up!" She wanted to tell them that she was moving and say goodbye, but she couldn't right now.

Eli still looked suspicious. She was hiding something. "Are you alright?" he asked, "Physically I mean… are you hurt anywhere?"

She shook her head. "Nothing I can't handle, it's fine."

"What did you talk to the principal about?" Adam asked, curious and a little worried. She really hadn't deserved a suspension. It seemed really unfair.

"O-oh," Clare stuttered, not sure what to tell them. She had to lie, but what would she say? "It was nothing… Just… I, uh… Wanted to explain what happened to try and get you two out of trouble… It didn't work, I'm sorry…"

Eli didn't believe her. That stutter was so obvious. Adam was a little more naïve than that, though.

"That's sweet," he laughed, "Thanks for trying. Anyways, I've gotta go and get my stuff and call my Mom and everything… She's gonna kill me."

"As long as it isn't Fitz," Eli smirked.

"So it's okay if I die, just as long as Fitz isn't the one who kills me?" Adam pretended to be upset.

"Pretty much. Can't let a douche bag win this war. I'll mourn your loss either way, but, you've gotta look at the big picture, dear Adam."

They laughed for a little bit and Adam left to get his things, leaving Clare and Eli alone. "You want a ride home?" Eli asked. She nodded, deciding this way her parents wouldn't find out. It'd be on her record but she wasn't _technically _suspended. "So… You're hiding something…" he whispered as they walked to her locker, "Will you tell me what it is? Please?"

"Eli, it's…" she started, and looked into his eyes. The look in his eyes, that loving expression that wanted more than anything to help the people close to him, made her tell the truth.

"Eli… I'm moving, this Sunday."

"Y-you're…" he whispered, processing the thought. "When did you find out?"

"Last night," she responded, "My parents want me to move in with my sister, a few hours away apparently."

"Out of the school district…"

He looked at the ground, trying to think, and he reached over for her hand, intertwining their fingers, softly rubbing the top of her hand with his thumbs, trying to be supportive. He was starting to cry.

Clare reached over and hugged him as tightly as she could, feeling a little more secure when he hugged her back with equal effort. "I like you," she confessed, "so much it hurts."

"I love you," he responded quickly and surely. "Don't move, Clare… Please don't move…"

"I have no choice… My parents need me to… They just, need to be alone right now, so they can think…"

"Stay with me!" he suggested desperately, hugging her even tighter, "Please! I… I can't lose you, please…"

He was shaking. She felt like, if she let him go he would break. He needed her… and the idea didn't sound that bad. They needed her out of the house, not out of the city, right?

It was worth a try.

She hugged him a little tighter. "I'll ask Darcy," she promised, "If I can… I'll stay, no matter what it takes…"

'I love you, too,' Clare thought to herself, not brave enough to say it out loud yet. Maybe once she was sure she wouldn't lose him, but not yet.

"Okay," he pulled back and caressed her cheek.

END.

I actually really didn't expect to get Eli into that fight this chapter… Or, at all even… It was weird for me, and actually interfered a lot with what I wanted to do this chapter, but… It really felt like I should? Hope you guys weren't unhappy about it.

Pretty alright with the length of this chapter.

Will Darcy help out her little sister? Read and review to find out! x3


	8. Making The Plan

KellyGirl13; Hahaha, I don't care about Fitz either. He's. Whatever.

Princesakarlita411; XD I _try_ to update fast. I can only do it because of reviewers though.

CaliGurl46; XD He's a little unstable but. Damn sexeh.

zeldaskeeper; I agree, it does look really OOC, and I never want to write an OOC description so it was hard for me, but the more I thought about it, the more I think Eli is capable of snapping. He's all about people being themselves, so if that got called into question, Fitz treating Adam like crap because of the cross-dressing, and if he also started blaming himself for it, I think he might break. Not permanently, but I really think it would mess him up, and with Clare leaving it'd make things even worse.

Francesca; Your name reminds me of a weapon from Tales of Symphonia. XD Neat. Yes yes, poor Eli. Don't worry, I love him too much to hurt him a lot, hahaha x3

kadabrafreak890; xAx Yeah. I hope so too! Hehehe.

Mrs ElijahGodswrthybabeh; XDD Your review was so long! I loved it. A "writing God" ? Wow. I like your ideas a lot, they're super cute. There were two in particular that I _realllllllly _liked… Gonna change one a bit, but I think you'll enjoy it. Probably in two or three chapters, we'll see, hehe x3 Thank you so much for reading and reviewing so consistently, I really appreciate it. You're totally amazing. I hope that I'll continue to live up to your expectations!~ And pho'sho. I hope Darcy understands, too. There better be a confession from Eli soon in the show, too… My world would probably end.

tweety09; XD Yes yes!

littlemarsz; x3 Glad you're enjoying it, thanks for reviewing!

mcflyXlove; I agree, it would be very unfortunate for Clare to move away

I Don't Feel Like I'm Falling

Chapter Eight: Making The Plan

The more she thought about it, the more Clare was beginning to realize how crazy being around Eli was making her. A month ago, she would've never even _considered_ staying for any long period of time at a guy's house, and now she was considering staying at one for a while and lying to her parents about it?

It wasn't going to be easy, either. Her parents would be handing in paperwork to file for a school transfer when the time came for it, and she had to, hopefully with the support of her sister, intercept and get rid of all of these papers.

Realizing that, staying with Eli was a backup plan. Therefore, with logic finally reappearing, she went over to Alli's house. It was a long shot, but the Bhandari family _did_ like Clare – she was possibly the best influence on their daughter that they could ask for, although it wasn't an effective one, and they probably wouldn't be happy about her leaving. Upon hearing about the situation, Alli was all for having Clare stay with her instead of moving away, so they found themselves sitting on the couch, looking awkwardly at Alli's parents, Sav watching curiously from the hallway.

"Clare… Please tell me about your situation," Mr. Bhandari said calmly.

"W-well…" Clare fidgeted, "Things have been hard for them recently and they really need some time alone… They really need that, and the only option they could think of realistically is for me to move in with my older sister, Darcy, and… I really don't want to leave Degrassi…"

"That's basically it," Alli laughed awkwardly, unable to read her parent's expressions right now.

Mrs. Bhandari had her usual, very motherly expression, worried about Clare and trying to sympathize. She was such a kind woman.

Alli's father was quiet for a moment before saying, "Have you mentioned to your parents that you came to us?"

"No," Clare responded, "I didn't… I didn't want to have my parents ask you, it feels like this is my responsibility… They're stressed enough already…"

"You're a good daughter," he smiled. A rare sight. "Alright, but only two weeks, okay? I can't have another daughter. My Alli is enough trouble already. I'm expecting you to keep an eye on her while you're here, and there will be responsibilities for you. You'll follow the rules my children follow."

Clare nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you so much! I'll talk to my parents about it tonight, I really appreciate this… I won't be a burden, I swear!"

"I'm sure you wont be," Mrs. Bhandari laughed quietly. Clare really loved Alli's parents.

It was nerve-wrecking. She had already texted Eli and updated him on the situation. She figured he would be disappointed, and maybe he was, but he only responded, 'I see how it is, you don't wanna stay with me? Where's the love? –sigh- Good luck Blue Eyes. Call me and let me know how it goes.'

Of course, the word 'love' brought back what he said… It was… Wow…

He _loved _her… Wow.

Before talking to her parents, Clare had decided she should go over this with Darcy. She would still need her help and approval, plus Darcy might have a better idea how to approach it. After all, if Darcy managed to get permission to go to Kenya, surely Clare could get permission to stay with Alli until this… Blew over, hopefully.

"So, what do you think?" Clare asked after finishing her explanation.

Darcy looked pretty disappointed; clearly she had been looking forward to some quality sister bonding time. "Tell me the truth. What about Degrassi is really making you want to stay right now?"

She always had a talent for asking the right questions.

"Alli and…"

"And?"

"… Eli."

Her sister's eyes lit up like fireworks. There was a _boy_ involved? Ooh-la-la! "Who's Eli?" she winked.

"He's um… My… B-boyfriend… S-sort of! Not official, just… Um…"

"My little sister has a _BOYFRIEND_? That's so cute!" Darcy squealed, squishing her sister like a stuffed toy. "Alright, alright, I get it. I'll talk to Mom and Dad about it. You _do_ have the Bhandari seal of approval, right?" Clare nodded. "Alright. You owe me, sweety. You'll still have to come up and visit me."

"Thanks Darcy… I've really missed you."

"Same here little Edwards." She winked, messing with her sister's hair. "I better meet this boy before he becomes official. Bring him over tomorrow?" Clare nodded, blushing. Hopefully he'd agree to that. She liked the idea of her sister meeting Eli.

The rest of the night was stressful, and it took a good hour of talking between Darcy and their parents before it was decided Clare was allowed, but it was such an incredible relief she nearly bursted into tears.

First order of business?

To: Eli, Alli

I'm staying :] Gonna call you later.

After hugging her parents and sister, Clare ran up to her room, spun in a circle, and collapsed on her bed.

No one knew that the deal was only two weeks… But, for the time being, that wasn't an issue. If it came down to it, she could figure out something. Her cellphone vibrated. 'Must be Eli,' she guessed.

From: Eli

Better idea. The Dot in fifteen?

To: Eli

Sounds great, see you there.

It was only seven… And just The Dot, so she threw on a 'cuter' outfit and snuck out without telling anyone.

The first thing she saw was Morty. An awfully affectionate name for an awfully morbid car. Sitting inside the car with another pair of headphones on was Eli. 'I guess when he said 'The Dot' he meant, 'Outside of The Dot. I have other plans and this is the best meeting spot.'' Clare laughed to herself, opening the passenger door and sitting beside the cutest boy in her life.

"Blue Eyes!" Eli smiled, leaning over and giving her a hug. "Glad to see you could make it."

"Hey you. What's going on?" Clare asked.

"Details! Give me details!"

"Oh, well. Alli's family was cool with it, I just have to do some chores. They agreed to two weeks."

"After that?"

"Not sure… Hoping the fight won't last that long, but we'll see."

"I'm glad you're staying," he smiled, expression warm.

"Me too."

Eli leaned forward and gave her a chaste kiss, moving his hand over her cheek.

END!

Alrighty. Shortest chapter yet, or close to it, but I really need to go to bed. Haha! The past chapter had more reviews than ever, I'm pretty sure? Thank you so much. I have some great readers x3

Gonna be a fun few chapters ahead, I'm pretty excited.

Hope you enjoyed. Read and review!


	9. I Don't Feel Like I'm Falling

Sorry about the long delay for this one. It's not particularly long, but I've been on vacation for a while.

Also sorry that the story wasn't consistent with the show. I'd love to bring in some things from it, but that would have made the story more awkwardly paced than it already was, haha.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the readers.

Get the picture? XD Really though. It's kind of hilariously awesome how consistent the Eclare fans are.

So. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

This chapter was inspired by two of Mrs ElijahGodswrthybabeh's ideas that I really loved.

The song is from the episode where Eli tells Clare about Julia. Little Pieces by Parlour Steps. I'm not sure if I got the lyrics right. Went by ear because when I actually looked them up, they omitted words, etc. You get the point, right, faithful reader?

Also. I didn't really proofread this chapter very well, so I hope there aren't many serious mistakes.

BUT ENOUGH OF THIS. ONTO THE FINAL CHAPTER.

I Don't Feel Like I'm Falling

Final Chapter: I Don't Feel Like I'm Falling

A few days had passed since she went out with Eli before, and they had hung out numerous times since, but this time Clare sat in the driver's seat of Morty, hands awkwardly tight on the steering wheel. She had forgotten how to start a car the second Eli agreed to this little plan. She furrowed her eyebrows in frustration and glanced over at him, blushing when she noticed that smirk. He could read her like a book, and clearly knew the issue.

"Nervous?" he asked, innocently enough.

His right arm was against the door, supporting his head comfortably and his left arm lingered on her thigh, drawing circles. Her blush darkened. "I, uh… Forget how to…"

"The key. Turn it," he said coolly, "Then put your foot on the break and switch into drive."

_We break, and then we go_

_And we try, we try and stay 'hopeful'._

She did as commanded and it didn't take long for them to be on the road. She drove a little slow, shocked that people so aggressively considered the speed limit slow, and focused ahead.

"Where are we going?" Clare asked.

"Does it matter? Oh, turn right onto this road."

"… Should it matter?"

"No, not really," he looked at her and smiled, "Just keep focusing on the road and relax. It doesn't matter where we go because we're together and not lost, right?"

_But it seems, the more we learn_

_The less we know._

_We'll try and stay truthful, yeah._

"Eli…"

"'Oh, Eli. You're so cool and romantic. I wish I could be more like you! I get so nervous at silly things and blush at the slightest physical contact… It's honestly exhausting going through so many mood swings! I'm not sure what I would do without someone as stable as you beside me!'" he ranted.

_If I fall to little pieces,_

_You can fall to little pieces._

She felt sincerely embarrassed by this rant. Usually they were okay, but this one… It kind of hurt. Of course, Eli being Eli, he noticed that microscopic flinch in her expression.

_We can mingle,_

_We can mingle our debris._

Still smiling, he leaned in closely to her ear and whispered, "I love the way you blush, and the way you don't care that I'm _not_ the most stable person, and I love what a passionate person you are. I hope those things never change."

Did her blush really just get darker? Was that physically possible?

She swerved the car a little bit into the oncoming lane but corrected herself immediately, trying to pretend that her heart rate didn't just climb dangerously high.

As much as Clare would love to have witty retorts prepared like she normally did, between focusing on driving safely and the parts of her mind being heartlessly consumed by Eli, there was no room left for _any_ retorts, let alone witty ones.

Before she knew it they were out of the city and on beautiful back roads. She had never been here before, but with the day's warmth and the non-blinding sunshine, it was perfect. She smiled to herself at this thought. Of _course_ it's perfect. She gave herself a mental pat on the back for suggesting this idea to Eli.

It took her until this moment to realize he had not stopped looking at her since they had gotten into Morty. A smoldering, unafraid stare. Clearly he hadn't been looking when he gave her directions… He only knew when there was a turn coming up, and gave her a random command.

Then again, she decided, that's the way he's always been.

_Our secrets have been leaked_

_Into these wild streets._

'It doesn't matter where we go because we're together and not lost.' It was the truth. She had never cared about where they were going… and hearing that, Clare probably wouldn't care even if they _did_ get lost.

Shortly after that realization, there was a sudden lull in the movement of Morty. The gas pedal, as hard as she pressed it, failed to respond. They slowed to a stop as she pulled them on the side of the road at the bottom of a hill.

"God," Eli muttered, "Really Morty? Today?" He climbed out and walked over to Clare's door, opening it. She wasn't sure what to do, but stepped out gracefully nonetheless. He got under the seat, pulled out a toolbox, popped the hood, and started checking anything that might be wrong.

Clare stood unsure what to do, looking around.

_And the ears lending their sympathies,_

_And the years lending vague weight._

"Eli?" she asked, trying not to bother him. He had a very disappointed expression looking around Morty's inner workings. The way his expression lightened up when he heard her made Clare's heart beat a little faster again. "No idea what's wrong?" The disappointed expression returned as he shook his head 'no'. "Sorry," she said, barely above the whisper.

_If I fall to little pieces,_

_You can fall to little pieces._

He gave a sympathetic smile as he looked up at her. "Not your fault. Morty _always_ does this to me," Eli said. Ordinarily Clare would expect a laugh, but he wasn't joking. He really didn't want her to be unhappy about this – that's what he was saying. That disappointed expression was for her sake alone.

She couldn't help smiling. At some point, she had starting falling for this boy. Probably the second she saw him, when everything else disappeared. When you forget everything you were holding onto, it's pretty easy to fall.

But… She had never felt like she was falling.

When he leaned in and kissed her softly, Clare came to the conclusion that she had never felt like she was falling because he was beside her, holding her hand, falling in the same cinder-block style.

_We can mingle,_

_We can mingle our debris._

"Hey… Clare Edwards?" he said. Her eyes were closed, but she could tell he was still smiling. "I love you."

Her heart stopped and she opened her eyes.

He was the same boy, not lost, not confused, not afraid… but she felt like a whole new door had had opened. This wasn't a relationship that would crumble easily. He _loved _her. Clare felt like she had been waiting her whole life, only to hear _him_ say that. Yet, the way he said it was no different than before.

She felt like if she tried to tell Eli she loved him she would break, so she took his hand and opened Morty from the back, climbing in. Eli had emptied everything in the back, aside from a blanket, so it seemed fine. She refused to let go of his hand and just laid on her back, calm. Peaceful.

"Don't fix Morty right now," she said, her voice shaking a little, "this is good enough… I like this."

_If I stayed,_

_Would you stay with me?_

"Clare?" he asked, legs on either side of her hips, looking down at her. "Are you crying?" She shook her head 'no,' but she was lying. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," she giggled a bit, although it was a little painful while she was holding back even more tears, "that's the thing… It's so… It's impossible to be unhappy about everything when you… love me…" Clare whispered the last part, still getting used to it. She was used to all kinds of love, but she was still adjusting to this one. "It makes me so happy I want to cry."

She used her free hand to wipe away the tears and sniffed a bit. She could feel Eli's hands shaking a bit. As sure as they were about their feelings, it often felt too good to be true.

Eli gently grabbed the hand wiping away her tears and pulled it away, pulling her hands about her head.

"Do you have any idea how bright your eyes are when you cry? They're the most beautiful things I have ever seen."

_No escape plan,_

_No victims theory._

They kissed for what seemed like forever. As the minutes rolled by it became progressively needier, but they never went any further. After all, _this was good enough_. They needed _each other_, not sex. Eli would occasionally roll his finger over the purity ring, like he needed reminded.

_Just lovers,_

_Just lovers without a history._

By the time they realized it, it was dark outside. They would have to call someone to come get them, but neither was particularly worried.

There had been a moan here and there, and they had both, on multiple occasions, whispered the other's name, but beyond that, Morty had been devoid of words. Clare was determined, though.

She had to give Eli the same gift he had given her. Her courage was being built up with her confidence, but it still came out as a whisper.

"I love you."

The look on his face said, 'As if I didn't know that,' but he didn't verbalize it.

_Just lovers._

_Just lovers._

ENDDDDDDDDDDDDD.

It's the end, oh nooooooes. Hope you enjoyed it. I wish I could've been more faithful to the show, but. Meh.


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